The two smiled at each other, and the atmosphere became more harmonious.
The topic gradually shifted from food collection to the situation in the court, and then to interesting things in their respective families. Time passed by unknowingly.
That evening, at Xue Zhongfu's invitation, Jiang Lun had dinner with him at the farm before saying goodbye and leaving.
After his friend left, Xue Zhongfu did not go back to his room to rest immediately. Instead, he stood outside the manor, watching the backs of Jiang Lun and his group disappear from his sight, his heart filled with emotion.
This time, the Jiang family's help to the Xue family was not only material support, but also spiritual encouragement.
In the following days, Xue Zhongfu continued to be busy between the farm and the Ministry of Works, but he was no longer as worried as before.
On this day, in the meeting hall of the Ministry of Works, the Shangshu, Shilang, Yuanwailang and the heads of the Construction Department gathered together to discuss the completion of the Wanshou Hall.
"Everyone," said Zhang Zhiliang, the Minister of Works, in a deep voice, "the four departments and two treasuries have reported a shortage of 114,000 taels of silver for construction costs. And both His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are dissatisfied with the paving of the Wanshou Hall's floor tiles. What should we do?"
"Alas," sighed a Deputy Minister, "Suzhou has a total of twenty-four imperial kilns and stoves, and they've been working at full capacity, producing the finest blue bricks available in recent years. Yet, Your Majesty remains unsatisfied. Suzhou's Supervisor of Construction, Yang Shilong, has been so anxious that his hair has turned completely white. What can we do?"
Xue Zhongfu sat aside, flipping through the book of the number of utensils in the Wanshou Hall handed over by the Construction Department. When he heard what his colleague said, he frowned.
Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, followed by a hurried report from the head of the Construction Department.
"My Lords, good news! Shen Qishan of the Jiangning Weaving Bureau has sent over several samples of blue bricks," the official reported with a beaming smile. "It's said that this is a newly developed firing method by a local Xiangshan Gang craftsman in Jiangning, and it's very different from the tribute blue bricks. Lord Shen would like to see if they can be used in paving the Wanshou Hall."
Zhang Zhiliang looked up upon hearing this, a glint of anticipation flashing in his eyes. "Oh? The Jiangning Weaving Bureau is also in charge of the Supervisory Office? Well, if that's the case, then quickly bring in the samples for us to see."
The person in charge left in a hurry, and the meeting hall temporarily returned to peace.
Taking advantage of this break, everyone picked up their teacups, took a sip, and gave their tired bodies and minds a brief rest.
Minister of Works Zuo Ningyuan is over sixty years old and has often felt listless in recent years. Today he was just showing up for work in the meeting hall.
He slowly put down his teacup, waved his right hand lightly, and said helplessly, "As long as Your Majesty and the Queen Mother are not satisfied with the floor tiles donated from various places, then the completion date of the Wanshou Hall will be a distant prospect."
"Now, we can no longer care about so many rules. No matter whether it is the Weaving Bureau or the Supervision Bureau, as long as His Majesty and the Queen Mother are satisfied, it is our top priority. Otherwise, if they accuse us of incompetence, our entire Ministry of Works will be held accountable."
As soon as the Shangshu spoke, the conference hall fell silent. After a moment, everyone nodded in agreement, not daring to raise any objection.
At this time, Xue Zhongfu heard about the Jiangning Weaving Bureau and the brush in his hand suddenly stopped.
Seeing this, his colleague Yao Xuan came closer and asked in a low voice, "Brother Xue, is this Shen Qishan from the late Madam's family?"
Xue Zhongfu nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "It is my late wife's uncle."
Yao Xuan suddenly realized something and murmured softly, "Yes, yes, I remember now. When Master Shen Qifeng fell ill from overwork and unfortunately passed away, his brother Shen Qishan took over the position of Jiangning Weaving Master. Did Brother Xue know about this donation of floor tiles in advance?"
Xue Zhongfu shook his head slightly and said frankly, "This is the first time I've heard of this as well."
After hearing this, Yao Xuan tactfully stopped asking questions and turned back to his desk to continue his work.
However, Xue Zhongfu's mood was difficult to calm down.
Ten years ago, in order to raise the 100,000 pieces of silk cloth ordered by the court, the father of his late wife Shen Yunniang supervised the weaving bureau day and night, and eventually died suddenly due to overwork.
His Majesty Li Longze had just ascended the throne at that time. In gratitude for Shen Qifeng's hard work and great contributions, he made an exception and allowed his younger brother Shen Qishan to take over the position of Jiangning Weaving Bureau.
At that time, Shen Qishan was the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture. This sudden lucrative job made him the focus of attention in the court, and I don't know how many people envied him.
In official circles, it is very rare for a younger brother to take over an official position after the death of his elder brother.
Shen Qishan was well aware of the interests involved. In the ten years since he took office, he had been conscientious and self-disciplined, and personally handled all the affairs of the Weaving Bureau, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Under his leadership, the quality and output of silk fabrics produced by the Jiangning Weaving Bureau have been significantly improved, and Shen Qishan has now become an indispensable official in the court.
The person in charge who had just come to report walked in slowly with a few clerks, carrying a few heavy blue bricks with great effort.
The blue bricks were carefully placed on the table in the meeting hall, immediately attracting everyone's attention. They gathered around and looked at these unusual floor tiles curiously. They saw that they had uniform color and fine texture, which was indeed different from the blue bricks they had seen before.
"Oh, it makes a sound when I knock it, and the texture is as smooth as new!" An official who was well versed in construction materials could not help but admire it after tapping the brick surface.
Upon hearing the voice, Xue Zhongfu put down the book in his hand and walked over with interest.
He bent down and carefully examined the surface of the tiles, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
Shangshu Zuo Ningyuan took the memorial from the chief official and began to read it. He nodded as he read, and seemed quite satisfied with the contents of the memorial.
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